does anyone derive value from a displayable follow count? 

if so, what does it do for you?

i tend to be more trusting to higher followed accounts on here

nice — what is it about seeing that number that leads to your trust? 

and is it a contextual trust? or a general one?

higher follower count = a bit more grace 

because they’ve demonstrated an impressive result (amassing followers) 

which signals that they have authority, influence and hold the cultural keys that can make our own ascent in the group easier.

so I guess it is a valuable social affordance

contextual, i still make decisions based on behaviour/vibes, but when it's a blank slate and i'm discovering an account/person, i'm more likely to give the benefit of the doubt and respond to vague or weirdly phrased dms, rather than assuming spam

similarly, if a caster is thinking/casting thoughts in ways i don't fully comprehend, i might spend a little extra time, because there's a social signal that perhaps there's something worth listening to